


In the forest he walks

by Misterghostfrog



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Horror, I noticed there weren't enough spooky fics so i made a spooky fic, M/M, Mystery, The rating may change at some point bc it's horror and sometimes horror is 2spooky4kids, don't trust the narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 06:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12501200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misterghostfrog/pseuds/Misterghostfrog
Summary: There’s something eerie about returning to your hometown after you’ve left it behind. The combination of the familiar and unfamiliar, buildings you remember as nice now shabby and deteriorated. Parks grown over and broken down.It feels like stepping into a parallel universe, where everything’s the same with just a few differences that make it not quite home.





	In the forest he walks

**Author's Note:**

> Haha holy shit i finished a thing?? A chapter?? Beginning??? What??
> 
> For reals i really am excited for this, originally i wanted to have it done by halloween but I am a slow writer and a piece of shit so that probably won't happen.
> 
> Thanks to my beta Anj from the mchanzo server for making this garbage fire readable.
> 
> (Also special thanks to my adorable cute amazing sweet girlfriend for helping me come up with and figure out the idea in the first place)

There’s something eerie about returning to your hometown after you’ve left it behind. The combination of the familiar and unfamiliar, buildings you remember as nice now shabby and deteriorated. Parks grown over and broken down.

It feels like stepping into a parallel universe, where everything’s the same with just a few differences that make it not quite home.

 

Those were the thoughts running through McCree’s mind as he drove through his hometown for the first time in years.

 

It’s not like he hadn’t meant to visit, but life had just always managed to get in the way. And it’s not like it’s a short drive. Of course flying was an option, but he never really liked the idea of climbing in a small confined box to be hurtled through the air at speeds no man was made to go at, at HEIGHTS man was definitely not meant to go. A problem nobody else in his family really shared, and they were usually alright with visiting him instead. So the incentive to try the drive was admittedly not quite there.

Until now, that is.

It was half past two in the morning when he pulled into the old gravel driveway, the house looked almost exactly like he remembered it. A little white Wood house on the edge of the woods, with a miserable looking, knotted tree in the front yard, looking even sadder with the loss of its leaves and a rope where a tire swing used to hang dangling miserably from one of the branches.

 

_He remembered him and his sister chopping down the swing to make room for a treehouse, before realizing the tree wasn’t the right shape. The tire ended up going to a friend who broke his arm trying to roll down a hill in it._

 

He walked up to the front door, the porch light glowing dimly above him as he patted the top of the doorframe, searching for the spare key. No luck.

He checked under the ‘Welcome’ mat, and under the little porch swing that every old person seems to get eventually. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he gave in and rang the doorbell.

It took a few tries, not that he was surprised. It was two in the goddamn morning. No self respecting human being would be up that late.

 

After a few minutes, his sister, Olivia, opened the door, bleary eyed, wearing a bright purple t-shirt that had a dancing skeleton printed on the front and pajama pants.

“You could’ve used the spare key,” she grumbled, wiping sleep out of her eyes as she stepped aside to let him in.

Jesse shrugged, brushing past her out of the nighttime chill and into the blessed warmth of the house. “Couldn’t find it.”

“It was in a hide-a-key, they got it a week ago. Pops texted you about it before he went to bed.”

Jesse pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking through recent messages. No sign of anything from his Pop, he shook his head and gave her a helpless shrug.

 

She looks unsurprised. “I told Pop the signal out here is shit, my phone’s been on the fritz since I got here. And don’t even get my started on the Wifi, my editor’s gonna kill me.”

He shoved his cell phone back into his pocket, shaking his head. Olivia only shrugged. “Eh, that’s what you get when the only cell phone tower is a million miles away and older than dirt. Come on, you can drop off your stuff in the living room”

 

The house layout was the same as he remembered, though the decor had undergone a few adjustments, more pictures of him and his sister scattered around the walls. A nomination for some journalists award his sister had gotten had been added to the shelf where their dads had put every award they’d ever gotten, even participation trophies.

The silent flicker of the tv was the only light in the living room as Jesse dumped his duffel bag on the floor. “So, how’s Pa?”

She shrugged “As good as can be expected, he’s adjusting pretty well considering.”

 

“And Pop?”

 

“He’s being fussy, as usual. Honestly I think it’s driving Pa a little crazy.”

 

Jesse hummed and nodded. “Sounds about right.”

 

Olivia stretched, yawning dramatically. “I’m going back to bed, I’ve already got dibs on the couch.” She grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and threw it at him. “You get the floor, there’s a sleeping bag in the corner if you want it.”

Jesse grumbled in protest as Olivia curled up on the couch. As he looked down at the hardwood floor, he debated whether or not it would be better to just sleep in the back seat of his truck.

In the end, he opted for the floor. The truck’s heating was unreliable at best, and leaving the damn thing on would be a waste of gas he couldn’t justify. So he grabbed some pajamas from his bag, changed in the bathroom, rolled out the sleeping bag and settled in for the night.

 

\----

 

A few hours later, his phone buzzed.

 

Three new messages from: Pops

 

_Spare key moved_

 

_Look under rock on porch_

 

_Drive safe_

 

\----

 

...

 

Jesse woke to the sound of muffled static and swearing.

 

He sat up, wincing at the knot in his back. There was a brief moment of ‘Where am I?’ that comes anytime one sleeps away from home. It passed as the sound of his Pa swearing at the radio from the next room started up again.

 

_‘God damn stupid piece of-’_

 

Jesse grabbed his phone as he stood up, making his way toward the kitchen where the swearing was coming from, when he heard Pop’s voice pipe up.

 

“Stop bashing the radio Jackie, you’ll break it.” He sounded drained.

 

“It’s not my fault these things aren’t made like they used to,” His Pa grumbled, Jesse entering the room just in time to watch him give the radio another sound thwack with his fist. With that, it kicked on. The sound of a talk show host chattering faintly about the day’s weather drifting out of the radio.

His sister was sitting up on the countertop, drinking a cup of coffee. His dads were sitting at the table, Pop sitting beside Pa, watching him fiddle with the knobs on the radio, adjusting the station. Pop glanced up as he entered the room, and brightening, he gave Jesse a small wave.

 

“Morning Jesse, did you sleep well?”

 

Pa perked up when he heard Jesse’s name, turning his head sharply in the direction of the door, though his eyes were pointed to Jesse’s left.

 

“Jesse? When did you get here?”

 

“He got in last night.” Olivia answered for him, setting down her mug.

 

“Nobody tells me anything around here,” Pa grumbled, putting down the radio. “Now get over here and give your old man a hug.”

 

Jesse obliged, moving to give both his parents a hug, before the three of them spent a few minutes exchanging light conversation while Jesse ate his breakfast.

 

“So, how was the drive up here?”  Pa asked, grabbing at the coffee cup a few inches away from his hand. After a few failed attempts Pop silently moved it into his grasp.

 

“Not bad, GPS went ‘n gave out on the last stretch up here though. Almost missed my exit.”

 

Pop nodded. “No surprise, the connection’s been bad for a few weeks now. They say they’re having someone fix it this week, though.”

 

Jesse gave a “Hmm” into his own coffee cup in response. “Y’think they’ll actually get around to it?”

 

Pops merely shrugged in reply.

 

They continued on like this for a while, chattering about anything that came to mind, at some point his sister having gotten up and left to get some work done. _‘I have a column due tomorrow, you guys have fun,’ she had said._ Pa got up a few minutes later, snatching up his cane. Pops tried to go with him, but Pa waved him off.

 

“I’m blind, Gabe, not an invalid, you don’t have to follow me everywhere.” he grumbled, Pops looked unconvinced, but let him go.

 

Jesse waited until he was sure he was out of earshot before he spoke up.

 

“So, how’re you two holdin’ up?”

 

His Pops sighed, wiping a hand down his face.

 

“He doesn’t want to listen to anyone, won’t accept any help. He keeps acting like nothing’s changed.” He looked tired, worn down.

 

“You know Pa’s a stubborn bastard. He’ll come around eventually,” Jesse attempted.

 

Pops hummed in agreement, not fully reassured. “Still, I keep worrying he’ll hurt himself like this.”

 

“Well fussin’ ain’t gonna make him come around any faster, you know that.”

 

“I know, I know- I just...” He sighed, grabbing his coffee and standing up from his seat. “Let’s talk about this later. You should take some time to get settled. Maybe take a walk around town, say hi to everyone.”  And with that he made his way out of the room, leaving Jesse alone in the kitchen to finish eating and contemplate his plans for the day.

 

\----

 

The Crusader’s Inn was a bar just off the main street, named so mainly because ‘Crusader’s Inn’ sounded cooler than ‘Crusader’s Bar’.

McCree had visited the bar a few times in his life, and it was always the same. The cheery old-timey atmosphere and plenty of unnecessary viking decor. Not to mention a weird German song always playing on the jukebox.

At the bar, the bartender, Reinhardt, was chatting to a pair of strangers. When he saw Jesse gave him a jovial wave, and pardoned himself momentarily from the conversation he was having.

 

“Jesse my friend! It’s good to see you!” He boomed, grinning from ear to ear. “I was wondering when you would stop by!”

 

Reinhardt was a loud man, his idea of ‘inside voice’ just slightly quieter than a construction site. He was also the co-owner of the bar and long time friend of both of Jesse’s dads.

 

“It’s good to see you too, glad to see this place is still around.” McCree quipped, taking a seat in front of his old family friend.

 

Reinhart laughed. “Of course! It would take a great deal for me to shut down the Inn! How have you been?”

 

“Not bad, though I gotta say it’s mighty strange bein’ back here with some of the changes. When did the old Chinese place down the street shut down?”

 

“Ah, yes.” Reinhardt’s expression turned somber, his energy dulling some. “Keeping business alive around here has been harder recently. We do not get as many visitors as we used to.”

 

There was a moment of awkward silence before Reinhardt shook his head and clapped his hands together, his smile returning at full force.

 

“But there is no use dwelling on what one cannot change! Let us return the subject to happier matters.” He turned to the two strangers gesturing broadly. “Let me introduce you to our latest guests!”

The visitors, who had been talking between themselves while Reinhart and Jesse conversed, looked up from their hushed conversation.

 

The first of the two men looked to be somewhere in his late twenties, his dark hair shaved on the sides in an undercut, with the rest pulled into a neat topknot. He gave Jesse a look that made Jesse feel like he was being searched for something. Whatever he was looking for, he didn’t seem to find it, turning his attention back to the other. He had a large instrument case slung over his back.

The second was younger, his hair was dark like the other’s, with the exception of a few striking lime green streaks throughout. He instead grinned at Jesse, his smile accentuating a long thin scar running from the corner of his mouth to his cheekbone.

 

Jesse hummed politely, sparing an ever so slight second glance at the first man, sticking out a hand towards him. “Well ain’t that somethin’.Jesse McCree, nice to meetcha both.”

 

The first man looked at his hand warily before shaking it. “Hanzo Shimada. And this is my brother, Genji.” He gestured to the green haired man, who waved, showing off a dinky camcorder. As soon as Jesse let go of the handshake, Hanzo quickly took his back, even crossing his arms.

 

“So what are you two doin’ in this fine town?” McCree asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep from fiddling.

 

“They say they plan to shoot a documentary in the forest!” Reinhardt piped up. “Though I told them the town was far more interesting!”

 

“The forest huh?”

 

“Yep! It’s a documentary about rare wildlife.” Genji grinned, passing the camcorder between his hands. “We found some signs of something we’ve been on the lookout for in this area.”

 

Jesse raised an eyebrow. “I ain’t too sure we’ve got anything ‘rare’ around here. Most interestin’ thing i’ve ever seen is deer.”

 

“Yeah well we think it’s not technically native to this area, in fact we think-”

 

“ _Genji._ ” Hanzo interrupted sharply, glaring at his brother.

 

“ _Hanzo_ ” Genji replied without missing a beat, mocking his brother’s serious tone. Hanzo rolled his eyes, unamused.

 

“I think we have better things to do than bore the locals.”

 

Genji looked insulted, expression indignant.

 

“I’m not boring anyone!”

 

Hanzo looked ready to retort, but paused, glancing over to Jesse and Reinhardt. He cleared his throat, glancing away.

 

Genji seemed unfazed, ignoring his brother he turned back to Jesse.

 

“Soo, you’re from around here?”

 

He nodded “Yup, born ‘n raised.”

 

“Do you think you could give us a tour of the town, then? I mean, we only just got here today and we haven’t had the chance to look around properly.”

 

Hanzo looked ready to say something, but Reinhardt spoke first.

 

“That sounds like an excellent idea!” He boomed. “Give them a chance to see the sights!”

 

Jesse chuckled awkwardly, nervous at the sudden pressure. “I- uh, I ain’t so sure I’m too qualified to give tours, I only just arrived back myself yesterday.”

 

Genji's response was almost immediate. “Then we can tag along with you while you refresh your memory!”

 

Jesse hesitated briefly, then shrugged. He had a point, it couldn’t hurt to have some company.

 

“I don’t see why not.”

 

\---

 

“He will probably be gone for a while.”

 

Jesse glanced over at Hanzo. whose gaze was focused somewhere off in front of them. The two of them had been walking in silence since Genji had run off, saying something about having forgotten something back at the bar. _‘Don’t wait up for me!’ He had yelled back to them._

 

Jesse waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, the bar’s just around the corner. He’ll catch up in no time.”

 

Hanzo looked off to the side now, fiddling with his jacket sleeve. “Unlikely. This is not the first time he’s run off like this.”

 

Jesse raised an eyebrow, now wary. “You don’t say?”

 

“He will probably wander around on his own for a while before making his way back.”

 

“Huh, you’d think he’d stick around a while after all that fuss about me giving y’all the grand tour.”

 

“... I apologize.”

 

“For what? Your brother? It ain’t your fault he went ‘n ran off.”

 

“It is, actually. In part at least.”

 

There was a pause. “Why’s that?”

 

“I believe that he is trying to get me to make friends.”

 

Jesse faltered a bit, not expecting that kind of motive.“...Oh.”

 

Hanzo cleared his throat, pausing in his step.

 

“Anyway, you do not have to follow along with my brother’s whims if you do not want to.”

 

Jesse blinked, his pace slowing to a stop a foot or so in front of Hanzo, turning to face him properly. “His whims-? Wait, who says I don’t wanna be your friend?”

 

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Do you?” He sounded almost skeptical.

 

“I dunno, I haven’t gotten the chance to ask anything important yet.”

 

“Such as?”

 

“What’s your favourite color?”

 

\---

 

Jesse spent the rest of the day showing Hanzo around town, introducing him to old family friends. Showing off old haunts and weird local knowledge. Genji made one or two appearances, presumably showing up to make sure his brother was doing well or hadn’t ran off, usually vanishing a few minutes later. _‘Like some kinda ninja’_ as Jesse had put it.

It was somewhere around six in the afternoon when they reached the edge of town, the sun already below the treeline, orange light just barely tinting the sky above. They decided to walk along the edge for a while.

The forest beside them was dark and silent except for the rustling of trees with the passing wind. Jesse found himself staring into the darkness, watching the shadows as they strolled.

After a minute he forced himself to look away, despite a part of him saying to never let it out of his sight, in case some wild animal jumped out from the darkness. Some outdated human instinct setting off false alarms in the back of his mind.

They passed in and out of the flickering glow of streetlights. The light was old, casting dull wavering shadows among the trees. It didn’t help the growing unease in the pit of his stomach as the shadows flickered and faded in and out out of the corner of his eye.

Underbrush cracked, a streetlight flickered, and his head whipped around towards the forest.

For a moment, there was a flicker of light. Like a pair of headlights staring at him from the darkness, and his mind made a shape. A shadow outlined amongst the trees. Crouched down low to the ground, as if ready to pounce.

He took a step back, eyes wide. Then all at once, there was no shape, no lights in the darkness. Only trees. Outlined by the flicker of a dinky streetlamp. He stood there for a moment, staring into the dark, waiting for something to appear again.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

Jesse jumped, whipping his head around to see Hanzo. His face had a shadow cast  ominously across it by the lamplight, his expression reminding Jesse of the look he’d first given him back at the bar. Searching, distrusting, and deadly serious.

Jesse laughed nervously, shaking his head. “Nah, nothin’s wrong.” He gave the forest another quick glance. Nothing. “I guess I just spooked myself.”

Hanzo looked unconvinced. But he let the matter drop, turning his attention to the quickly darkening skyline.

 

“We should head back soon, it’s getting late.”

 

Jesse couldn’t agree more.

 

\---

 

Jesse walked Hanzo back to his hotel, though conversation was sparse as they walked through the dimly lit streets. Hanzo’s mind seemed focused on something else, he had a death grip on the strap of his instrument case the whole way.

Farewells were quick, though Jesse got the impression that Hanzo wanted to say something. He lingered at the doorway of the hotel, giving Jesse a poignant look. But whatever it was, it went unsaid.

Jesse found himself spending most of the walk back to his truck stealing looks behind him, half expecting a pair of eyes like headlights to be staring at him from the shadows.

A car drove past him and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

The drive wasn’t much better either, he found himself sparing frequent glances out the side windows and into the rear view mirrors, peering into the dark forest surrounding the road. At one point he tried to turn on the radio to distract himself. All he could get was the sound of static.

 

As soon as he pulled into the driveway, he made a beeline for the front door.

Despite the rush, being inside did little to help with the dread still sitting heavy in his gut. He kicked off his shoes and made his way to the living room, which was empty. The TV played silently, the picture on the screen wavering every so often.

He flopped down on the couch, officially claiming the it for the night. His sister wasn’t there to fight him on it, so his claim went undisputed.

 

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of an endless forest, and gleaming eyes in the dark.

 

\-----

 

One new message from:  ___ 

 

__________ 

 

\-----

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to message me or something off ao3 for whatever reason feel free to hmu on tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jellyfishnerdartist


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